Single Mother Survival Guide

My first podcast for 2022 is a solo episode. As I am recording this podcast, it is day 15 of my Covid journey and I'm still on the road to recovery.

In this episode, I will talk about the raw, vulnerable, and uncut story of my Covid experience.

I will highlight two important aspects around Covid:

1. The physical aspects, from my experience.

• How I started acquiring Covid symptoms and the shock I felt once I got the positive test result.
• Worrying about potential exposure to the virus of loved ones and people I came in contact with (hotel and hospital staff, driver, other passengers).
• The frequent trips to the hospital due to difficulty in breathing and fluctuating oxygen levels Physical symptoms I had (from body aches and chills to brain fog).

2. The psychological aspects, from my perspective.

• The effect on mental health due to isolation.
• The trauma, stress, and embarrassment that can be too much to handle.
• The fear of dying and leaving your loved ones behind.
• Disruption of future plans.
• The loneliness one can feel while in isolation as one can feel cut off from the rest of the world.
• The importance of having a loving and supporting group that prays for your recovery and overall well-being.

Getting Covid has given me a lot of time to reflect on what's important, and having an attitude of gratitude despite life's setbacks is very important. It will only get better from here.

Sending you lots of love.

Julia xx

Links mentioned in the episode: Jump on the waitlist for Thrive Tribe HERE. Download the E-book – Thirteen single mothers share their struggles, top tips, and their favourite things about being a single mother – HERE. To contact Julia, email: [email protected]. Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too. Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

This week on the show, I have a single mum, Sarah Robb, sharing her story.

**Please note this episode and topic may act as a trigger for some people, and this episode is not suitable to listen to within earshot of children.**

Sarah is a beautiful member of my Thrive Tribe community whom I've known for a number of years now.

In this episode, Sarah talks about:

• how she met her ex,
• how they quickly entered into a very serious relationship,
• the gaslighting she experienced from her ex,
• the other red flags that showed up in the relationship,
• how she handled the discovery of her husband's infidelities and affair with another woman before and during their marriage,
• how she discovered that the other woman had a close relationship with her daughter and had known her since she had been born (without Sarah's knowledge),
• becoming a single mum twice,
• the importance of taking care of yourself first, how she focused on self-development to have a thriving life as a single mum,
• her favourite things about being a single mum, and
• so much more!

Listen to her journey of healing, growing, and thriving.

Links mentioned in the episode:

For a limited time, the doors to Thrive Tribe are open, sign up right HERE.

Download the E-book – Thirteen single mothers share their struggles, top tips, and their favourite things about being a single mother – HERE.

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

In this episode, my special guest from last week shares Part 2 of her story.

In the last episode (278 - Blindsided by my partner (Part 1)), my anonymous guest talked about how she had always thought she and her partner had a good life. They had been together for 7.5 years and they rarely argued.

Life was good when they had their first baby, but things quickly changed when she saw changes in her partner's demeanour and when he began a strong friendship with a girl from his work. Until one day, she was blindsided by her partner's sudden decision to leave her while she was just pregnant with their second baby.

In Part 1, my guest talked about:

• the challenges of becoming a first-time mum and the shifting in identity from doing what she wanted when she wanted and adjusting to motherhood,
• how she never felt fully supported by her partner when it came to caring for the baby,
• not addressing the unspoken expectations about the shared responsibilities of being a parent,
• the signs and changes in the behaviour of her partner when she found out he was texting another woman,
• her decision to move back to her parents to get the support she needed,
• juggling career and pregnancy while taking care of her first child,
• co-parenting with her ex, and
• moving into her own place and starting the next chapter.

In this episode, my guest shares Part 2 of her story. She talks about:

• the absolute grief and trauma she felt when her ex left her and the emotionally difficult pregnancy and birth she had,
• how she was in fight or flight mode the first months after separation,
• how she proactively sought help and put support in place around her during the early part of her pregnancy as she knew she was a candidate for PTSD,
• trauma recovery,
• intentionally seeking single mum friends who get it and understands her journey,
• how her visits to her psychologist triggered past trauma from her childhood which she never knew were there but how seeking therapy during these hard times helped release past and current trauma and helped process the rollercoaster of feelings one goes through in times of grief,
• her journey to self-discovery, and
• so much more!

Links mentioned in the episode:

Listen to Episode 278 - Blindsided by my partner (Part 1) HERE.

Jump on the waitlist for Thrive Tribe HERE.

Download the E-book – Thirteen single mothers share their struggles, top tips, and their favourite things about being a single mother – HERE.

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

This week on the show I have an anonymous single mum sharing her story. She's a single mum of 2 kids - a 3-year old and a 3-month old.

My guest had always thought she and her partner had a good life. They had been together for 7.5 years and they rarely argued. They spent much of their time travelling the world together.

She was studying for her Masters when they had an unplanned pregnancy, which caught her off guard as she was only a few weeks out from completing it and was about to pursue a new career.

Life was good when they had their first baby. They bought a house and had good times together exploring new places. But things quickly changed when she saw changes in her partner's demeanour and when he began a strong friendship with a girl from his work. Until one day, when she got completely blindsided and was told by him that he wanted to separate.

In this episode, my guest talks about:

• trusting the process when you have an unexpected pregnancy, as it has a habit of working things out in the end,
• the challenges of becoming a first-time mum,
• the challenges of shifting identity from doing what she wanted when she wanted and adjusting to motherhood,
• how she didn't feel fully supported by her partner when it came to caring for the baby,
• not addressing the unspoken expectations about the shared responsibilities of being a parent,
• the signs and changes in the behaviour of her partner when she found out he was texting another woman,
• how she was eventually blindsided by her partner's sudden decision to leave her while she was just pregnant with their second baby,
• her decision to move back to her parents to get the support she needed,
• juggling career and pregnancy while taking care of her first child,
• co-parenting with her ex,
• moving into her own place and starting the next chapter,
• and so much more!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of her story that drops next week.

Links mentioned in the episode:

Jump on the waitlist for Thrive Tribe HERE.

Download the E-book – Thirteen single mothers share their struggles, top tips, and their favourite things about being a single mother – HERE.

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

This week on the show, I have Gina Fontaine joining me. Gina is an author, a personal trainer, and a women's wellness coach, and has built a career helping women use movement to achieve optimal health. She has dedicated the last 27 years to studying her craft as a fitness professional. Gina earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Exercise Science from Indiana University in 1996. Since then, she has earned personal trainer certifications from the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. In 1998, she became a certified yoga teacher. And, more recently, in 2018, she became a Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist. Now, Gina has expanded her focus from physical health to include emotional and spiritual health as well; helping moms find a healthy, happy life balance through a realistic, sustainable approach to motherhood. She lives with her three children in Denver, Colorado, where she continues to train and coach moms and give one-minute wellness solutions to thrive. Her book, You Are a Supermom, was released in September 2021 and the book provides the basis for the Supermom Club, the online fitness community for time-strapped moms looking for an easy way to integrate wellness into their day. In this episode, Gina shares:

• why and how her marriage came to an end,
• how she dealt with guilt and shame after the tumultuous years of her divorce,
• the challenge of family reorganization and dealing with changes of adversity in the family,
• what to do when your kids rebel against you and how to handle it with love and compassion instead of being reactive,
• getting through the pandemic with teens and tweens,
• adapting to blended family situations,
• how she began recording her thoughts, advice, and tips which gave birth to her book on mums who are feeling overwhelmed and helps them reclaim their superpower,
• the importance of having a self-care routine and focusing on overall wellness, and
• so much more!

Links mentioned in the episode: Find out more about Gina here. Gina's book, "You Are A Supermom," is available on Amazon. Unfortunately, Gina is unable to give a coupon as originally thought, but instead has an even better offer which is, $100 off her Movement Magic Design Intensive - her signature movement evaluation and personalized guidance to get your wellness transformation off to a great start. Get that offer here. Join Gina's online fitness community for time-strapped moms - Supermom Club. Take the "What Kind of Supermom Quiz Are You?" HERE. Be sure to take the quiz and find out how to leverage your superpowers as a mom. Connect with Gina on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and join her Facebook group here. To contact Gina, email: [email protected] Jump on the waitlist for Thrive Tribe HERE.

Download the E-book – Thirteen single mothers share their struggles, top tips, and their favourite things about being a single mother – HERE.

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

This week on the show, Jenny shares Part 4 of her story. **Please note this episode and topic may act as a trigger for some people, and this episode is not suitable to listen to within earshot of children.** In the first episode (Episode 273 - Part 1), Jenny talked about what life was like growing up with an alcoholic father and the sexual abuse she received from her father starting at the age of 9, and how she was betrayed by her own mother to protect her father. She shared how she overcame and thrived after sexual abuse. The second part (Episode 274) was a continuation of her story where she talked about her two marriages. She shared how she faced the challenge of dealing with her husband and in-laws when they found out about her traumatic childhood. She also talked about the things that went wrong in both marriages, which ultimately led her to free herself and her daughters from a loveless marriage in order to thrive as a single mum. In last week's episode (Episode 275 - Part 3) Jenny talks about her narcissistic ex that she fell head over heels in love with. She talked about their sexual adventures, how they got into 'swinging' and couples clubs. She shared how she started noticing the red flags in the relationship, and she bravely shared the pain she felt about his cheating, the compulsive lying, the gaslighting, and ghosting even after the truth about his cheating came out. In this part, Jenny continues to share her story about the narcissistic ex. She speaks about how she sought therapy and how he started to sneak his way back into her life two years after the relationship ended. She caved and kept their relationship a secret from everyone she knew so as not to disappoint them. She soon found herself stuck in a cycle of manipulation and lies, affecting her self-worth once again. In this episode, she also shares:

• life after the breakup,
• how she sought therapy to help her process the breakup and heal past emotional wounds,
• how the narcissist ex ended up back in her life, using and hurting her,
• that lightbulb moment she had that he was not deserving of her love and attention,
• dating forwards,
• and so much more!

Jenny's reason for sharing her story is to show that there is hope even when things seem hopeless. We hope you were inspired and empowered after listening to her story! Links mentioned in the episode:

Jump on the waitlist for Thrive Tribe HERE.

Download the E-book – Thirteen single mothers share their struggles, top tips, and their favourite things about being a single mother – HERE.

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

This week on the show, Jenny shares Part 3 of her story. **Please note this episode and topic may act as a trigger for some people, and this episode is not suitable to listen to within earshot of children.** In the first episode (Episode 273 - Part 1), Jenny talked about what life was like growing up with an alcoholic father and the sexual abuse she received from her father starting at the age of 9, and how she was betrayed by her own mother to protect her father. She shared how she overcame and thrived after sexual abuse. Last week's episode (Episode 274 - Part 2) was a continuation of her story where she talked about her two marriages. She shared how she faced the challenge of dealing with her husband and in-laws when they found out about her traumatic childhood. She also talked about the things that went wrong in both marriages, which ultimately led her to free herself and her daughters from a loveless marriage in order to thrive as a single mum. In this part, Jenny talks about her narcissistic ex that she fell head over heels in love with. She talked about their sexual adventures, how they got into 'swinging' and couples clubs. She shared how she started noticing the red flags in the relationship, and she bravely shared the pain she felt about his cheating, the compulsive lying, the gaslighting, and ghosting even after the truth about his cheating came out. In this episode, she also shared:

• how she started dating after ending her 2nd marriage,
• how she met her narcissist ex-boyfriend,
• the times that her friends and her intuition told her that something was not right but how she ignored the signs,
• learning about the "smear campaign" her ex created against her to make her out to be the bad person to his other woman,
• and so much more!

Stay tuned for Part 4 that drops next week.

Links mentioned in the episode:

Jump on the waitlist for Thrive Tribe HERE.

Download the E-book – Thirteen single mothers share their struggles, top tips, and their favourite things about being a single mother – HERE.

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

In this episode, single mum Jenny shares Part 2 of her story.

**Please note this episode and topic may act as a trigger for some people, and this episode is not suitable to listen to within earshot of children.**

In the last episode (Episode 273 - Part 1), Jenny talked about what life was like growing up with an alcoholic father and the sexual abuse she received from her father starting at the age of 9, and how she was betrayed by her own mother to protect her father. She shared how she overcame and thrived after sexual abuse.

In this episode, Jenny talks about her two marriages and touches on life as a single mum raising two daughters after getting divorced.

In this episode, she also shared:

• how she fell head over heels and married her first husband,
• what it was like dealing with her in-laws after they found out about her traumatic childhood,
• how both of her husbands coped with her traumatic childhood,
• how she gave in to her first husband's fantasies about sleeping with other men, which resulted in an unexpected pregnancy,
• the resentment she felt towards her first husband after he convinced her to terminate the pregnancy,
• the break up of her first marriage,
• going from having everything to having nothing,
• how the relationship with her second husband started,
• dealing with her second husband's drinking and depression which ultimately resulted in resentment and resurfacing of her childhood traumas,
• choosing to stay in the relationship for the children,
• how she chose not to settle and free herself from a loveless marriage and thrive as a single mum,
• and so much more!

Stay tuned for Part 3 that drops next week.

Links mentioned in the episode:

Listen to Episode 273 - Part 1 HERE.

Jump on the waitlist for Thrive Tribe HERE.

Download the E-book – Thirteen single mothers share their struggles, top tips, and their favourite things about being a single mother – HERE.

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

In this episode, single mum Jenny shares Part 1 of her story.

**Please note this episode and topic may act as a trigger for some people, and this episode is not suitable to listen to within earshot of children.**

In part 1 of this series, Jenny shares her life from her childhood and the sexual abuse she received from her father which started when she was nine years old.

She talks about:

• what life was like growing up with an alcoholic father and the sexual abuse she got from her father,
• the pain she had to overcome when she exposed her father, and the shame that came with it,
• the discovery that her father was also doing the same thing to her sisters,
• the court case and how she was let down by the people who should have protected her,
• how her father continued abusing her throughout it,
• how she was betrayed by her own mother to protect her father,
• how her own children coped with the truth about their mother's abuse,
• the power of forgiveness, and
• overcoming and thriving after sexual abuse.

This is not just a story about surviving abuse, but about the bravery and strength that one little girl had, and how she got through it, and ultimately thrived in life.

It is Jenny's hope to provide encouragement to women to believe that peace, happiness, and self-love are possible, even after the most horrific of traumas.

Stay tuned for Part 2 that drops next week.

Links mentioned in the episode:

Jump on the waitlist for Thrive Tribe HERE.

Download the E-book – Thirteen single mothers share their struggles, top tips, and their favourite things about being a single mother – HERE.

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

This week on the show, I have Jen Adams joining me.

Jen Adams is a functional nutritionist and skin health expert with 10 years of clinical experience. She specialises in pro-ageing nutrition advice for the skin and body, helping clients look younger and feel better by restoring health, balance and wellbeing. Jen has an honest, professional approach and an exceptional understanding of how the body works, in particular how metabolic pathways influence our metabolism as we get older. She understands the science behind skin health and nutrition and how the two are linked – and extensively researches innovative and natural treatments that promote health for the skin and body. Through her Metabolic Health Club, Jen provides online coaching and delivers structured programmes that help clients understand how they can make small changes to restore their metabolic health, improve their gut function and increase their energy levels. The treatments she offers are concentrated and personal – her knowledge and expertise in skin health and nutrition are combined with a supportive and results-driven approach.

In this episode, Jen talks about:

• Signs and symptoms that your metabolic health is struggling as you age and what you can do about it.
• Why it's a good idea to ditch probiotics and what to replace them with.
• How adding Apple Cider Vinegar and hot lemon works wonders for skin problems.
• Skin problem versus gut problems.
• Her top three nutrition tips for anti-aging.
• And so much more!

Links mentioned in the episode:

Find out more about Jen here.

Download Jen's free guide to Boost Your Metabolism here.

Jump on the waitlist for Jen's skin health club for women here.

Connect with Jen on Facebook.

Jump on the waitlist for Thrive Tribe HERE.

Download the E-book – Thirteen single mothers share their struggles, top tips, and their favourite things about being a single mother – HERE.

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.